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Jim McGreevey
James Edward "Jim" McGreevey (born August 6, 1957) is an American Democratic politician. He served as the 52nd Governor of New Jersey from January 15, 2002, until November 15, 2004, when he resigned from office. McGreevey coupled the announcement of his decision to resign with a public declaration of his homosexuality and a claim to an extramarital affair with the Israeli man he had appointed homeland security adviser, despite having no qualifications, and who was threatening to sue McGreevey for sexual harassment. McGreevey was the first and, to date, the only openly gay state governor in United States history. Early life and education McGreevey was born in Jersey City New Jersey, to Irish Catholic parents and grew up in nearby Carteret, New Jersey. There he attended St. Joseph Elementary School, and later St. Joseph High School in Metuchen. He attended The Catholic University of America before graduating from Columbia University in 1978. He earned a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1981 and a master's degree in education from Harvard University in 1982. "Except for kindergarten, Mr. McGreevey was educated at two parochial schools: St. Joseph elementary school in Carteret, and St. Joseph High School in Metuchen. He spent three semesters at Catholic University in Washington before transferring to Columbia University, where he majored in political science and graduated in 1978. He received a law degree from Georgetown in 1981 and a master's in education from Harvard in 1982." He also attended a diploma program in law at the London School of Economics. Political career McGreevey was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly from 1990 to 1992, when he became Mayor of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. He was re-elected mayor in 1995 and 1999. He was elected to the New Jersey Senate in 1993, simultaneously serving as mayor during the four-year Senate term. He first ran for governor in 1997, but was defeated in a close race (47% to 46%) by the incumbent Republican Christine Todd Whitman. Libertarian candidate Murray Sabrin received slightly over 5% of the vote. McGreevey ran for the governorship again in 2001 and won with 56% of the vote, making him the first majority-elected governor since James Florio. His Republican opponent in that race was Bret Schundler. Other candidates in the race included William E. Schluter (Independent), Jerry Coleman (Green), Mark Edgerton (Libertarian), Michael Koontz (Conservative), Costantino Rozzo (Socialist) and Kari Sachs (Socialist Workers). Governorship of New Jersey After being elected to the governorship on his second try (on November 6, 2001), McGreevey inherited a $5 billion budget deficit. During his term, McGreevey raised the tax on cigarettes and increased the state income tax for the wealthy. Raised as a Roman Catholic but maintaining a pro-choice stance on abortion, he stated as governor that he would not receive Communion at public church services. Among McGreevey's accomplishments were implementing a stem cell research plan for New Jersey, heavily lobbying for the state's first domestic partnership law for same-sex couples and signing such a law in early 2004. McGreevey's term was controversial, with questions about the credentials of several of his appointees to pay to play and extortion scandals involving backers and key New Jersey Democratic fundraisers. Golan Cipel controversy McGreevey was criticized for appointing as homeland security adviser Golan Cipel, because he lacked experience or other qualifications for the position. In addition, Cipel could not gain a security clearance from the Federal government, as he was Israeli and not a U.S. citizen. McGreevey had met him in Israel during a trip there in 2000. According to McGreevey in ''The Confession'', The Record was the first newspaper to break the news of a relationship between McGreevey and Cipel. McGreevey brought up Cipel's name six weeks into his administration in a February 14, 2002, interview with The Record's editorial board at its offices saying: }} The interview prompted news investigation into Cipel's background. On February 21, The Record published a profile of Cipel, calling him a "sailor" and a "poet." The article stated,“Democrats close to the administration say McGreevey and Cipel have struck up a close friendship and frequently travel together”, prompting McGreevey's own mother to confront him about his sexual orientation. Various media organizations sent reporters to Israel to ask questions about Cipel and his background. In August of 2002 at McGreevey's request, Cipel stepped down from his position as homeland security adviser. Resignation On August 12, 2004, faced with threats from Cipel's lawyer Allen Lowy that Cipel would file a sexual harassment lawsuit against him in Mercer County Court, McGreevey announced at a press conference, "My truth is that I am a gay American." He also said that he had "engaged in an adult consensual affair with another man" (whom his aides immediately named as Cipel), and that he would resign effective November 15, 2004. New Jersey political circles had speculated about McGreevey's sexual orientation and questions about his relationship with Cipel had been alluded to in the media. McGreevey's announcement made him the first openly gay state governor in US history. The Star-Ledger won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting for its "coverage of the resignation of New Jersey’s governor after he announced he was gay and confessed to adultery with a male lover.""Columbia University Announces 2005 Pulitzer Prizes.", PR Newswire, April 4, 2005. Accessed December 23, 2007. McGreevey's decision to delay the effective date of his resignation until after September 3, 2004 avoided a special election in November to replace the governor. Doing so allowed the Democratic Party to retain control of the governor's office for at least another year. It avoided the prospect of a Republican incumbent governor's running in tandem with George W. Bush, which could have helped Bush capture New Jersey's electoral votes. (Bush did not win New Jersey's electoral votes in the 2004 presidential election, but captured 46% of the statewide vote, compared to 40% in the 2000 race.) Almost immediately after McGreevey's announcement, New Jersey Republicans and Democrats alike called upon the governor not to wait until November to resign and instead to do so at once. An editorial in the New York Times read, "Mr. McGreevey's strategy to delay resignation does not serve New Jersey residents well. The state will be led by an embattled governor mired in personal and legal problems for three months."The Governor's Secret, The New York Times, August 13, 2004 On September 15, U.S. District Judge Garrett E. Brown, Jr. dismissed Afran v. McGreevey, filed by Green Party lawyers Bruce Afran and Carl Mayers, dismissing their claim that the postponement of McGreevey's resignation had left a vacancy, thereby violating New Jersey residents' voting rights. Brown stated that McGreevey "clearly intends to hold office until November 15, 2004. The requirement of holding a special election does not arise. The rights of registered voters are not being violated." Afran re-filed the same suit in Mercer County Superior Court and Judge Linda R. Feinberg heard arguments on October 4, 2004. Fellow Democrat and New Jersey Senate President Richard Codey took office upon McGreevey's resignation and served the remainder of the term until January 17, 2006. At the time of McGreevey's resignation, the New Jersey State Constitution stipulated that the Senate president retains that position while serving as acting governor. ''The Confession'' In September 2006, McGreevey published a memoir, written with assistance from ghostwriter David France. The memoir was entitled The Confession. McGreevey appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show on September 19 to discuss and promote the book. It was the start of a two-month promotion of his memoir.Two years after declaration, McGreevey finds stride as 'gay American' Associated Press, August 12, 2006. In The Confession, McGreevey described the duality of his life before he came out as gay: "As glorious and meaningful as it would have been to have a loving and sound sexual experience with another man, I knew I'd have to undo my happiness step by step as I began chasing my dream of a public career and the kind of 'acceptable' life that went with it. So, instead, I settled for the detached anonymity of bookstores and rest stops — a compromise, but one that was wholly unfulfilling and morally unsatisfactory." Personal life .]] McGreevey has a daughter Morag from his first marriage (1991-1997) to Canadian Karen Joan Schutz. He has another daughter, Jacqueline, from his second marriage to Portuguese-born Dina Matos McGreevey. Dina Matos and McGreevey separated after he came out of the closet, and in late 2005 McGreevey and Australian-American executive Mark O'Donnell began a relationship. The two live in Plainfield, New Jersey. McGreevey teaches ethics, law and leadership at Kean University in Union, New Jersey. McGreevey and O'Donnell regularly attend Saint Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in New York.McGreevey Explores Homosexuality in Memoir 1010-WINS, April 28, 2006 There McGreevey was received into the Episcopal Church (ECUSA) on Sunday, April 29, 2007. He has been accepted to General Theological Seminary, where he will pursue a Master of Divinity degree. This would be required if he pursued becoming an Episcopal priest. In her memoirs, Matos wrote that she would never have married McGreevey if she had known he was gay, nor would she have chosen to have a gay man to father her child. On March 17, 2008, Theodore Pedersen, a former aide to McGreevey, claimed that from 1999 to 2001 he had a three-way affair with McGreevey and Matos, a statement later affirmed by email from McGreevey to the Associated Press. In a statement to ABC News, Matos denied that a threesome ever took place. Divorce from Dina Matos The McGreeveys have separated and filed for divorce. On March 14, 2007, the Associated Press reported that McGreevey was seeking custody of Jacqueline from Matos McGreevey and filing for child support. Jim and Dina Matos McGreevey's Divorce trial in the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth, started on May 6, 2008, to end their 3 1/2-year separation. Jim asked the court for equal custody of their 6-year-old daughter, alimony and child support. Dina Matos demanded $600,000 compensation. Jim's lawyer Stephen Haller, will present witness Teddy Pedersen, 29: "Plaintiff will testify at trial that he needed to have a disrobed male present in the room with them in order for him to become physically aroused; This tends to prove that plaintiff was at least bisexual, a fact which should have been obvious to defendant prior to the marriage." Dina Matos' lawyer John Post, would block Pedersen's testimony.wwsb.com, Gay ex-N.J. governor's divorce trial promises sordid detailswww.gmanews.tv, Gay ex-NJ gov's divorce trial promises sordid details On 8 August 2008, the divorce was granted. McGreevey received joint custody of Jacqueline and is responsible for child support. Dina Matos was denied alimony. References External links *Text and audio of McGreevey's resignation address *New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey, National Governors Association *A year after coming out, McGreevey still trying to find his niche, August 2005 article *Two years after declaration, McGreevey finds stride as "gay American", Associated Press article from August 2006 *[http://fora.tv/fora/showthread.php?t=421 McGreevey discusses his book, The Confession at the San Francisco Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Community Center], New York Times' Times Talks Series, ForaTV, October 14, 2006 (Video) *Video of speech at cornerstone laying ceremony for the Freedom Tower on July 4, 2004 Category:Gay politicians Category:Christian LGBT people Category:LGBT state legislators of the United States Category:LGBT politicians from the United States Category:1957 births Category:Sex scandal figuresCategory:Living people